"No, I belong merely to the Second."
"Eh? What? A Peer!"
"I am Lord Silverdale."
"No, indeed! Lord Silverdale!"
"Lord Silverdale!" echoed the aeronaut, letting two sand-bags fall into the clouds. Most people lose their ballast in the presence of the aristocracy.
"Oh, I am so glad! I have long been anxious to meet your lordship," said the Moon-man, taking out his notebook. "What is your lordship's opinion of the best fifty books for the working man's library?"
"I have not yet written fifty books."
"Ah!" said the Moon-man, carefully noting down the reply. "And when is your lordship's next book coming out?"
"I cannot say."
"Thank you," said the Moon-man, writing it down. "Will it be poetry or prose?"